May 24, 2012

My hubby Alex likes to carry around a slim, fold-in-half vinyl wallet sometimes, but his isn't quite the right size to fit a dollar bill folded in half. He has to perform some kind of weird origami quarter-fold to make cash fit, so I thought I'd see if I could make a better one.

Tragically the fabric store didn't have orange vinyl, but I made do. I used one color for the outside and another for contrasting pockets. (I folded the wallets a little bit crooked in the photo above so you can see a hint of pocket peeking out.)

These would be simple gifts to whip up as graduation presents or Father's Day gifts, and especially fun with cash or a gift card tucked inside.

Or adjust as needed to make business card holders, recipe card holders, you name it.

On the outer piece, get crazy with your sewing machine and stitch some lines using contrasting thread. I made some straight stitches on one version, then tried one of the fancy stitches on my sewing machine that I never use.

Instead of backstitching to secure the ends of the decorative stitches (that's unsightly!) pick at the last stitch on the reverse side until you can pull the thread from the front side back through and then knot the loose ends. Secure all the stitches this way.

Then sew on the two pockets by stitching around the edges of the wallet. When you're finished, slice off any overhanging bits with a rotary cutter and a ruler to tidy up the edges.

I love this and I love the stitching detail! Yay for no more voodoo origami money-folding! Though I wonder if Alex will be sad he no longer has to do it. I can see him very carefully and meticulously folding each bill so that each one fits in correctly :-)

I didn't need to use a different foot or do anything special, but I've heard of different tricks you can try for that. Try googling "tips for sewing vinyl," or add tape or tissue paper to the search keywords, maybe.

I made this using a common slip in style eyeglass case, the kind with no pocket clip. I made the flaps from the rounded corner parts. Trimmed borders straight and close to the stitching after sewing. Worked pretty good. Thanks. Glasses case, easy to find leather or vinyl.